


It's a Small, Small World

by GeickoGarbage



Category: Le Fantôme de l'Opéra | Phantom of the Opera & Related Fandoms, Le Fantôme de l'Opéra | Phantom of the Opera - Gaston Leroux, Phantom of the Opera - Lloyd Webber
Genre: Crack, Erik works at disneyland, F/M, Light-Hearted, Past Relationship(s), it just came from a weird fever dream ok, it started as a pure R/C fic then my hands ruined it, please dont take it seriously
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-23
Updated: 2020-05-23
Packaged: 2021-03-03 00:42:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,719
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24336082
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GeickoGarbage/pseuds/GeickoGarbage
Summary: Christine had thought it would be a great idea to surprise Raoul with a trip to Disneyland, to celebrate the one year anniversary of their dating. She had prepared everything, from the train trip to the hotel, but nothing could have prepared her for the forthcoming events.
Relationships: Christine Daaé & Erik | Phantom of the Opera, Christine Daaé/Erik | Phantom of the Opera, Raoul de Chagny/Christine Daaé
Comments: 7
Kudos: 22





	It's a Small, Small World

**Author's Note:**

> I had a dream where Erik worked at Disneyland.  
> It all went downhill from there.

Christine woke Raoul early. The sun hadn’t even came out yet, but she was too excited to let him sleep any longer. He groaned and complained, of course, and she hardly cared. She prepared him a nice breakfast, with toasts, croissants and coffee, before urging him in the bathroom to change. In the meantime, she got their luggages out of the closet- she had been hiding them here for a few days now- and waited in front of the door.

When Raoul came out and saw her all prepared, he became really intrigued.

He was growing more and more curious as Christine led him towards the train station, the early morning sun lighting the parisian streets in warm hues. And when they were seated, Christine still did not tell him where were they going.

“It’s a surprise trip !” She said, “For our dating anniversary !”

Raoul was sure there was no such thing as a ‘dating anniversary’. Wedding, sure, but dating ? That seemed like a Christine idea. But who was he to refuse an imminent weekend with her ?

It was only when the train pulled into the station that he began to have suspicions on where exactly were they. And, once they were walking out, Christine leading them towards a bus, Raoul had no more doubts. Especially with the giant Mickey paintings adorning the walls.

“You took me to Disneyland ?” He exclaimed, happy like a child.

Christine hugged him then, excited as much as he was. “Happy anniversary, hun !”

The bus transported them to their hotel. The couple brought their suitcases in the room, and, overjoyed, decided to leave it as they were to directly go into the park. Another bus took them there, and it was when they finally saw the enormous pink castle that they realized the fun they were about to have, jumping in eachother’s embrace.

The morning went by too fast for them. The couple walked from attraction to attraction, sometime stopping to wave at mascots wandering the alleys. But as they left Adventureland for Frontierland, they made a frightening discovery.

“Christine…” Raoul whispered. “Isn’t that your ex over there ?”

Christine turned around in a flash, startled by Raoul’s words. And just as he said, she could not miss the tall, masked man standing a few meters away, currently handing balloons to children. He raised his head, just slightly, and his yellow eyes peered into her’s.

Christine took Raoul’s arm and urged him forward. “Ignore him. Don’t make eye contact.”

She practically ran with him, blood cold, and heart beating fast, repeating to herself _fuck, fuck, what was_ he _doing here ?_

It had been more than a year since she had last seen him, and they did not leave eachother on good terms. Actually, it had ended pretty horribly. She didn’t dare to think what would have happened if Raoul had not come to her rescue in time.

Both of them were anxious lest they should run into him again. Did he work at Disneyland ? _Him_ ? The idea was ridiculously insane. Had he stalked her ? _Again_ ?

After that, they kept seeing him. Around a corner, in front of a store, or just walking down a street. Each time, they ducked their heads and prayed he did not notice them. But it _was_ the Phantom, and Christine had little hopes that he did not recognize them.

Eventually they relaxed somewhat, knowing that he was there and made no attempt to approach them.

At the exit of a ride, Raoul saw the stuffed suit of Mickey coming their way. Grabbing Christine, he walked to the crowd already gathering around the poor mouse. He was always excited for the mascots, having grown up with every Disney movie possible, and meeting Mickey was like meeting his hero.

The giant plushie made a whole show- taking pictures, autographing children’s books, hugging them in return… When Raoul made a move to leave, suddenly, Mickey was stopping them both, and bystanders laughed. He pointed to the both of them, before forming a heart with his big, gloved hands.

Raoul kissed Christine’s temple. “We're here for our anniversary !” He told the plushie.

A round of _‘aww’_ could be heard around them, and Mickey brought his hands to his cheeks. He made a _‘Come with me !’_ motion with his left, and the couple, surprised, followed.

He led them aside and behind a large blue gate; something that, Christine knew, was only reserved for people willing to add a few extra bills. But maybe it was the cheerful music and colorful costumes, or simply the joy she felt at the moment, being there with her loved one, that she did not question it, and only felt lucky.

Perhaps she did began to have second thoughts when Mickey, now out of the public’s sight, seemingly changed his whole demeanor.

Or when he took his head off.

Both of the couple’s smiles faded away in an instant, bodies frozen in shock and confusion as the man before them slowly turned to face them, blue eyes meeting amber-

“Oh- Are you _kidding_ me ?” Christine exhaled, frustrated. “Erik, again ? At Disneyland out of all places ?”

Erik seemed to cower at her voice. “Fate destined to bring us together it seems, Christine, in any place. Don’t you think ?”

She glanced at Raoul, who looked bewildered. “Of course not ! You’ve been following us ! We saw you this morning, and-”

“Ah, so you did chose to ignore Erik !” The tall man cut through, “I tried to muse the idea that you might not have seen me, but it was impossible !”

Her voice raised, “Why would we _not_ ignore you, Erik ?! You are the embodiment of everything that could transform this perfect day into a nightmare !”

In between the shoutings, Raoul tried to intervene, but could only mutter a few words before getting drowned in the singers’ powerful voices. After a while, he sighed and decided to stop trying, resorting to watch the two yelling in turns at eachother, just as it had been months ago. Nothing at the moment could seem to stop their heated argument and it would have gone on and on for much longer if it hadn’t been for one powerful scream cutting through.

“ _Erik_ !”

“Ah _merde,_ ” the man in question cringed, his eyes shifting behind the mask.

All three turned to Nadir, appearing from the large gate they had passed a few minutes ago. He was wearing the park’s uniform, and a furious look on his face.

“What do you think you’re doing ?”

“Hum… Saying hi to old friends ?” he shrugged.

Nadir eyed them, looking back and forth between Raoul’s desperate eyes, Christine’s “ _help us_ ” expression, and Erik, who was trying to get his elongated limbs out of the stuffed costume, revealing the same light blue shirt and dark pants his comparse wore. 

Finally, he raised a hand to his temple before addressing the younger couple, “Has he… forced you to follow him here ?”

“No, but we didn’t know it was him inside the suit,” Raoul gestured to the pile of fabric on the floor.

“The sui- ? Oh, for the love of…” Nadir suddenly seemed to have a realisation, turning to Erik. “What were you doing in that ? It’s not even your field ! Where’s Jim ? Did you-”

“Relax, dear Daroga, nothing ill happened to the lad, I just told him his shift ended earlier today. That fool was more than happy to get out of here.”

“Wait, so you just… stole a Mickey costume to talk to me ?” Christine asked.

“You wouldn’t have let me approach you otherwise.”

“No, of course I wouldn’t have !”

Erik looked at Nadir, “See ?!”

An exasperated groan could be heard. “Erik, go back to work. Please.”

“No, not now that I have Christine !” He continued before anyone could contradict him, “But perhaps this is what you intended, all of you ! To trap me in an eternal Hell, only to send me my Angel at arm’s length with no possibility of reaching her ! This is torture !”

Nadir began to shove Erik back out, ignoring his renting. When finally he complied, he put on a Disneyland cap before shooting daggers Raoul and staring a second too long at Christine. “ _We’re not done !"_ , his eyes screamed.

“I’m very glad of seeing you both again and well. I’m so sorry for… him.”

“Happy to see you too, Nadir.” He exchanged handshakes with Raoul. “What is Erik doing here ?”

“After what happened last year at the opera, Erik was offered a place in a psychiatric hospital, if not a prison. I managed to convince the judges his… skills would genuinely be of great help to the community. He needed a job to get re-introduced to the world, with me as his personal caretaker.”

As he talked, Nadir crossed his arms and looked behind him, were Erik could be seen peering above the gate, glaring at the trio.

Nadir sighed. “It’s still a work in progress.”

Christine was at loss for words. Raoul muttered, “That’s… wild.”

“Why Disneyland ?” She asked.

Nadir chuckled. “It’s the only place on Earth he might hate as much as his mother’s living room, and I can keep an eye on him, as a security guard. He can do amazing work on repairing the rides or the automatons, but socializing is still hostile territory. You should see the children’s faces when they see him selling balloons.”

In spite of herself, Christine laughed as she remembered the scene.

“Well,” the older man continued, “we should get back. I hope you’ll both enjoy your stay here, and I promise I’ll try to keep him away but… you know how Erik is. If you need anything, just ask for me.”

Christine and Raoul bid their friend farewell, and waited a couple of minutes before going out, as to be sure not to bump into the masked fiend again.

“This trip sure as hell got interesting,” Christine said.

——————————

It was not before the end of the afternoon that Christine had another run into Erik. She and Raoul had the most fun they could have, and only crossed paths with him once, when said masked man was selling churros at a nearby stand. Raoul suggested to go get some, just to annoy him, but Christine was against it- the yellow eyes fixed on her still managed to get a chill down her spine, even when she was surrounded by walking plushies and the scent of popcorns.

By 4pm, they had to have a restroom stop. Christine came out first, and decided to wander around a bit until Raoul had finished. She sat on a bench and looked at people walking by, music from the Sleeping Beauty lingering in the air.

“Fancy meeting you here.”

Christine jumped at the sudden voice, so close to her ear. Next to her sat Erik, legs crossed and arms splayed around the back of the bench– she could tell he was nervous by his slight fidgeting, but trying to appear calm and relaxed.

“That the best you could come up with ?” Christine answered in an annoyed tone.

“Where’s your boy ?”

It didn’t surprise her that he would ask about Raoul first, the only barrier keeping him from talking to her. Christine nodded towards the little restroom building a few meters away.

“Where’s Nadir ?” She asked in return.

Mirroring her, he nodded towards a crowd of visitors huddling around Peter Pan- Nadir trying his best to keep children from grabbing the performer. Damn, he was too busy to come rescue her this time.

“How did you find me ?”

Erik pulled out a phone. “You wouldn’t believe how easy it was to break through the security system.” He lit up the screen to reveal a video of the exact place she and he were finding themselves. Christine realized it was not a video, but the camera hung on a lamp pole by the restrooms.

“God, really ?” Christine was frustrated. “It’s been a whole year, Erik. I thought things would have changed.”

“Things indeed have changed, my dear. But as much as I have tried to suppress my feelings for you, a glimpse at your face this morning made it clear that my heart still burns !”

Christine didn’t know what to say. Whatever her words would be, she knew they’d be useless. She looked at the man sitting beside her, hunched over as he spoke, and knew there was no possible way he could give her up. Had _she_ even gave him up ?

“What’s your room number ?” Erik’s voice cut through her thoughts.

Her eyes widened. “What ? As if I’d give it to you !”

Erik sat back. “You’re right. It’s not as if this place’s rice cracker of a security wall didn’t let me know it.”

To this Christine got up, aggrieved. “Ok, no. See, that’s the kind of shit that ruined everything. All the stalking, the tracking, and your goddamn obsession with me ! It was all fine and you blew it all up !”

Erik raised, but she would not let him speak. “Christine-”

“Look, I’m having a wonderful time. The most fun I’ve had in months. So please, if you even care about me like you say, don’t ruin this for me.”

His eyes were cast downward, and surely, if she wasn’t so exhausted with him and a year younger, she would have pitied him.

“We’re done. I don’t want anything else to do with you.”

With that, Christine turned and walked back. It astonished her that Erik did not run to her, caught her wrist and forced her to leave with him. She saw Raoul, smiling sympathetically as he met her halfway through.

“Are you alright ?” he asked.

“Yeah, I’m fine.”

“Good. You shouldn’t wander around too much. I’ve heard they have keep weirdos.”

Christine knew he tried to light up the mood, but she could only bring a half-hearted smile. When she turned around, the masked man had disappeared, and she felt the first pang of guilt.

  
...

The rest of the day went by with no peculiar event. By 7pm, Raoul and Christine changed clothes and went to a nice restaurant. By 9pm, they were back in their hotel room, exhausted.

Christine had one last surprise for Raoul, and it was an expensive bottle of champagne to tip their day off. So when knocks were heard at the door, she got up to answer.

“Who is it ?” Raoul asked. Christine giggled and ignored him.

As she had guessed, it was the room service coming with her order. What she did not expect, however, was the red rose that accompanied it. She first thought it a present from the park, but the black ribbon tied around it quickly dismissed the assumption.

Her boyfriend, peeking above her shoulder, could be heard sighing.

  
...  
  


That night, as Raoul slept in her arms, she couldn’t join him; her mind was filled with thoughts of today’s encounter.

It wasn’t exactly that Christine _missed_ Erik, but she couldn’t deny how her heart had pinched in a pleasant way when he revealed himself to them. It was like parting with a friend after a bad argument, only for longing their return, and once it happens, not knowing how to act. Christine knows she should be angry at Erik. She was, and she had let him know it. But this past year, there had been to much nights where she cried in memory of the time they passed together, too much nights when she stayed awake in fear of what had happened to him for her to stay angry at him.

Alright, maybe she did miss Erik.

She missed his laugh, in particular. It was so rare to hear, and she still cherished the few times his golden voice had rung melodically. Oh, his voice ! She had missed it too. It was angelic, and what had charmed her first. She missed his amber eyes. His music. The way he whispered to her and caressed her hair when she felt bad. And even with his gaunt body, she missed his hugs. 

_God, no,_ Christine thought, _that’s dangerous territory_.

She missed his face, as deformed as it was, it was so unique, and so… him. She missed his hands, too. They were pale, cold and worn, but oh, so graceful when he played on his piano, so delicate when he touched her-

_Christine, stop._

She missed his smile. He told her once that he hadn’t known how to smile until he met her. Happiness was rare for Erik, and everytime he smiled, she knew she made him happy, and it was blissful. She still remembers how that smile felt against her lips, when they first kissed, that night-

_Christine !_

She remembered his lips kissing all of her, his hands gripping her body like a lifeline, she remembered the intoxicating _love_ he felt for her, that he _still_ felt for her !

Overwhelmed by her own thoughts, Christine sat up, Raoul thankfully did not move an inch.

Part of her had felt relieved when he confessed his love again, earlier. Perhaps it was twisted, but it fueled her ego to know he still had feelings for her. She thought that, perhaps, if he had told her he was over her, if _he_ had said they were done, she would have stayed mad at him.

But that was not the case. Erik still desperately loved her, and she felt happy for it. 

Christine looked at Raoul. He was snoring lightly, sleeping on his stomach, and the innocence of the young boy she befriended years ago plastered on his face, completely unaware of her inner turmoil.

“ _Fuck_.”

——————————

The next day, the park was fuller than the day prior. Raoul and Christine spent most of their morning queuing in front of attractions rather than doing them. When it would get too long, Raoul would pull her against him as they waited, and she felt content in his arms- although a voice in the back of her head couldn't shush the thoughts she had last night. 

They were waiting before _It’s a Small World_ when suddenly a voice rang out, announcing that it had to close for reparation. Christine silently cursed Disney’s “never-closing” policy. They slowly backed from the attraction, groaning along several other visitors, when Raoul noticed it was time for lunch and headed towards the nearby restaurant.

Christine entered first, ready to hold the door for her boyfriend when an arm shot in front of her, grasping the door frame. She looked to who did it belong, and with no surprise, rolled her eyes.

“I’m sorry, sir,” Erik spoke nonchalantly, his back turned from Christine. “You’re not tall enough to ride.”

Raoul looked up at Erik, who easily towered him of a few inches. “But… this is a restaurant ?”

“It’s the procedure, sir. Please back away or I’ll be forced to ask you to leave the park.”

“Erik…” Christine felt a smile appearing on her face at Erik’s banter; she knew he was just trying to annoy him. She placed a hand between his shoulder blades.

Erik looked back, gazing at her for a few seconds before removing his arm. 

Raoul glared at him. “Don’t you have anything better to do other than bothering us ?”

He shrugged. “No, not for now. It’s pretty full in there, I’d suggest you walk to another restaurant or take something at a snack.”

“Thank y-”

“Why do you care ?” Raoul’s voice was sharp.

Taken aback by the boy’s sudden boldness, it took a few seconds for Erik to answer, “Just doing my job. Isn’t that what you wanted, pretty boy ?”

“What I want is for you to leave us the _fuck_ alone, alright ?”

Instantly, the taller man lunged forward, grabbing Raoul by the collar.

“Careful, de Chagny…”

“Erik !” Christine grabbed his arm, and he immediately backed off, hands in the air. She looked around frantically, just to be sure no one eyed them suspiciously- but nobody seemed to care. Which was a little bit concerning.

She sighed. “Could you two stop fighting like an old married couple, just once ?”

“Erik !” Again, Nadir’s voice rung to save the day. He was a few meters away, and accompanied by a park employee.

“Yo, Darth Vader !” his coworker yelled, “Come on, we need your Magic Mike hands !”

Christine looked at Erik in disbelief, a laugh building up. “Excuse me ? Darth Vader ?”

“I gotta go. See you around, love,” he said in a rushed tone.

Erik strode away, joining the two other men. Christine could see Nadir vividly bawling out at him, glancing at her every now and then. As the trio walked away, she began to tug at Raoul’s shirtsleeve, only to find him unmoving.

“Hun ? Let’s go-”

“Did you know your ex was there ?” he asked.

She looked up at him, “What ?”

“Christine, please answer me, honestly. Did you know he worked here ?”

Raoul looked affronted.

“What’s gotten to you-”

“I have every right to feel like I do, Chris.” His voice became huffed. “He tried to kill me the last time I saw him, but you hardly seem to care. And now he’s _here_ , where you took me, sending you flowers and calling you pet names- did you know, Christine ?”

“Of _course_ I didn’t know !” Christine tried to calm him down, “Look, all I wanted was to pass a good time with you. I still do. I don’t care that he’s here or not, alright ?”

She took both of his hands in her’s, and placed her head on his chest.

“I can’t ever be mad at him,” she said, “you know I can’t. It doesn’t mean I feel for him what I used to. I love you.”

With that, she kissed him and he relaxed. Their arms intertwined, the couple decided to go get lunch somewhere else.

  
...  
  


“An iced tea ?”

“Yeah. If it’s not too expensive.” 

“Babe, we’re at Disneyland, everything’s expensive.”

Christine chuckled and kissed Raoul. A few hours after their lunch, both of them wanted to go grab a drink, but again, the place was full of visitors. Raoul proposed to go get the drinks while she could wait in the shade.

She watched him, standing in the never-ending line as he checked his phone, occasionally looking up and smiling at her. He had quickly forgotten about their earlier argument. He looked quite handsome, standing in the sun, with his wild blond hair and sunglasses. She enjoyed his trimmed moustache, something she knew Meg found ridiculous.

“Enjoying the view ?”

This time, Christine didn’t even bat an eye at the man sitting besides her. Legs crossed, head propped on one hand, Erik seemed to eye Raoul as well.

“Yeah, I get it,” he continued. “He’s cute.”

Christine smirked. “Glad you approve. I love him.”

Erik nodded. “I know you do.”

She stared at him. Erik was so different from Raoul, it seemed like passing from an extreme to the other whenever she was with one of them. Then, he turned to her.

“Follow me.”

“Last time I followed you, you kidnapped me and threatened Raoul’s life.”

“Ok, well,” Erik got up, “Nobody’s perfect. Come, Christine. I won’t hurt you, I swear.”

Christine looked back where Raoul stood, still a good number of people in front of him. She had no reason to accept, and yet, she did, remembering the time when he had took her hand and showed himself to her for the first time. As he led her, people parted before them; it gave her a feeling of power to follow a park employee.

Finally, they reached an iron backdoor. As Christine looked up while he unlocked it, she finally took notice of the large building they were entering- _It’s a Small World._

“A few automatons broke down, that’s why they had to close it,” Erik explained as they walked through an hallway. “Obviously, you’re not supposed to be here, but whatever. It’s a safe place for talking to you without Nadir or the boy on my back.”

Christine heard her phone ring, and pulled it out to see a message from Raoul.

_From : DisCount_

_‘Where are you ? I cant see you anymore’_

Christine typed the first answer she could come up with.

_‘I saw Maleficent and wanted an autograph, stay where you are, i’ll be back soon !’_

She bumped into Erik, not realising he had stopped walking. He murmured a " _careful"_ while taking hold of her arm, and she looked at the still river before them. The attraction was turned off, the boats unmoving, the automatons looked frozen. There was no music, not a sound.

“Come.”

Erik took hold of her hand and began to lead her through plastic faces and cardboard decors. This place had an eerie look like this, with no happy song coming from anywhere, dimmed lights, and only smiling faces staring at nothing.

“Why are we all alone ?”

“Ah, they quickly understood I could surpass any technicians here. One man is always less to pay than a full team- I do have one, but it’s rare they accompany me. They much rather have a smoke break.”

Christine was impressed. “They let you take care of things all alone ? How did you manage that ? Creepy threats in letters or murder ?”

She regretted having said that, feared she might have touched a sensitive subject, but he only smirked in response.

“None of these. Why, do you think I should ?”

Christine grinned. When they came close to a sort of mansion, Erik stopped, kneeled, and told her to sit down if she wished. Carefully, he dislocked one of the tiny robots from the moving platform it was standing on, propped it on his legs, and began to work on it, opening a latch hidden on its back, underneath colorful clothing.

“That’s what you do, here ?” Christine asked. She remembered all the tiny mechanical toys he used to hoard at his place- of his own making, of course. The scorpion one had been her favorite. She wondered if he still had them.

“Mostly, yes. However, I believe I shouldn’t blame the Daroga each time he puts me out there, the old man gets his own revenge on me.” Erik picked up tiny tools from a bag at his belt. It was the tiniest screwdriver Christine had ever seen ! “You’ve witnessed it.”

Christine giggled. “The great Phantom, reduced to selling churros to kids.”

“At least I have free churros, and you don’t,” he smiled.

They fell into silence for a few seconds. It was a pleasant silence, as she watched him turn and try a few gears.

“You really don’t like working at Disney ?”

Erik looked at her. “Christine, this place is a curse ! There’s no way to be a dark, brooding ghost here, every wall, every place is covered in joy and glitter ! People laugh, want to have a good time, and they don’t care about you.”

She smiled sadly. Maybe he’ll never change, after all. She slid down against a piece of decor and, hugging her legs to herself, continued to watch him.

“But… it’s not all bad here.” She saw his shoulders shudder, though his eyes never left the doll. “I mean, it’s certainly better than what I was used to before. They let me do my things alone. I like it. Working on the automatons like that.”

“And sometimes, they ask me to compose the music for shows. At first, they tried to put me on the scene, as a ventriloquist or a magician. But I refused. I’m not-... I’m not a circus freak, Christine. I don’t want to _entertain_ people.” He looked at her.

Christine remembered long ago when he told her about his past. There had been tears and yellings that night. She could still feel the scars crossing his back as she calmed him down.

“They asked me to design a new attraction, too.” Erik put the doll down, satisfied, and picked another, repeating the process. “People don’t care about you. They don’t care about the mask, Christine. There are so many other people in masks, here, that they prefer to go take a look at the fancy ones. It’s a relief, really, to be stared out all your life and then just be… like anyone else.”

They fell into silence again. A smile tugging at Christine’s lips. There was a new lightness in Erik’s voice, one of pleasure, of content. She was incredibly happy for him.

“Don’t go tell the Daroga, though,” he pointed the screwdriver at her, “or else he won’t ever _let it go._ ”

To this, she gave in and laughed, delighted in hearing his dark chuckle accompanying her.

“I’m proud of you, Erik.”

His hands stopped their business, and he seemed thoughtful, yet agitated.

“I never said I was sorry,” he said, quietly. “For what it counts, I am. I truly am. It doesn't erase the things I’ve done, or make you forgive me, but-”

“I do,” Christine said before thinking. “I forgive you.”

Astonished, he looked back and forth between her and the tiny gear in his hand. He blinked a few times, his mouth opening to say something, but closing again instantly.

“I…” he huffed, a smirk brushing the edges of his mask. “You truly amaze me, Christine Daaé.”

She reached for him. “Give me your phone.”

Erik complied with no protest. She turned it on, entering the password (which was _still_ her birthday; she rolled her eyes at that), and tapped her own number in his contacts. She noticed, apart from Nadir, he only had a few others, the one of madame Giry, and two more she didn’t know.

“There,” she handed it back to him, his wide eyes staring at her. “Don’t go text me _‘u up’_ and ‘ _I miss you’_ at 3am though, or I will block you. Are we clear ?”

“Oh, Christine,” his voice wavered, and she was sure he was about to cry, “How can I thank you, my dear ?”

“Well, stop doing weird shit, for one. And continue working here, it seems to do amazing things to your mood.”

She approached him, hugging him as he stood in incredulity, straight and tensed.

“You’re my dearest friend, Erik. I don’t want to lose you again. We can try to make it work. We will.”

Slowly, she felt his arms curling around her, quiet sniffings beneath his mask. It was true, all of it. She missed Erik, and she wanted him in her life. And if he is willing to, he will be a part of it. He had let down a barrier only she could see through, but it was short timed before he composed himself back again.

“Is this a good moment to ask you for a blowjob, then, or is it too soon-”

Christine pushed him away, “God, stop saying things that immediately make me regret my kindness towards you !” Still, she smiled.

“What ? There’s no one here but us ! It’s not everyday you get a chance to fuck at Disneyland-”

“Erik !” Christine yelled, “In what possible universe did you think I’d accept ?”

He looked at her from the ground he was laying on, and sung, “ _It’s a world of hopes !_ ”

She laughed in disbelief. “What has Disney done to you !?”

He raised up. Erik was easily a whole foot taller than Christine, if not more. “Only good things apparently. Let me take you back, Raoul will wonder where you went.”

He took her hand, and led her back from where they came. Erik had never cared what Raoul thought before. Erik had never called Raoul _Raoul_ before. And, as they both stepped into the light of day again, she knew things had truly changed.

She walked back to Raoul alone. He was sitting on the bench she had left earlier, and already had drunk a good half of his Fanta. She had been gone for twenty minutes and he was starting to worry. Christine excused herself, blaming the other visitors, and, with a sad smile, admitted that she did not manage to get an autograph. She knew lying to Raoul was bad, but discussions between her and Erik had always felt too intimate to share.

He got up, complaining to Christine about the park’s price over their drinks, and planned what their next attraction should be. But before they could venture more, a light clear of throat came from behind them. There, Erik stood, with a bottle of Fanta, an iced tea spilling with ice cubes, and a white, greasy bag.

“You should have told me,” he said, “it would have spared you 10 euros and a thirty minutes long queue.”

Raoul was about to say something, but Christine spoke before, “Thank you, Erik !” She took the two drinks from him. “What’s in there ?”

He spread the bag open with his fingers, “Free churros.”

Christine beamed at him, and Raoul, as annoyed as he was, couldn’t deny that free food was always nicely accepted.

“We should be going,” he said, “We still have plenty to do, and little time.”

“Of course.” Erik nodded, hands clasped behind his back. “Have fun. I was glad to see you again.”

He bowed, and quickly left before anyone could speak further, and Christine knew it had taken all of his might to admit this- especially in front of his ‘deadly rival’.

  
...  
  


In the end, the weekend had been a wonderful distraction for Christine and Raoul. They had stayed until closure and dined at Planet Hollywood before taking the train back home. They had not heard nor seen Erik since, although Christine was glad she managed to hug Nadir goodbye, promising to call and dine with him soon. She felt light-hearted on the way back, knowing both of them were still around and well.

Raoul had fallen asleep in the train, against her shoulder. Christine smiled and kissed the crown of his hair, and felt terrible once she had to wake him up at the station. They walked their way back home in silence, arriving around 2am, and he went first to take a shower as she took care of their luggages. A few minutes later, it was her turn- and when she came out, Raoul was already passed out in their bed.

She settled besides him, snuggling in the blankets, and lit up her phone to set up tomorrow’s alarm. When she looked at the screen and saw a text, Christine smiled.

_From : Lord Vader_

_‘You up ?’_


End file.
